Here it is - the end of the semester. For numerous graduating seniors, these words hold special significance.
Never again will the approaching heat of the oppressive Houston summer signal the end of another year of study at the University of Houston.
As I ponder such things, I wonder what it will be like for me after I leave this university. Even if leaving here does not strike me immediately, I am certain that when I arrive in Chicago in October, back in the frigid north, I will be contemplating the inevitable arrival of winter rather than planning a last trip to the beach, and reality will not be evasive. Although I am already laying plans to attend the UH-DePaul basketball game, not wanting to miss out on the excitement of the new program under our new coach Clyde Drexler, I hope that this does not remain my only direct contact with the university that has provided me my education and so many fond memories.
It would be a shame if leaving UH and moving out of the city required that we forfeit all direct contact with it. Of course, we know that this is not the case, although it some ways it may seem so.
While I will never forget my time at UH, one thing that I hope will assist me in remembering UH is my participation in the Senior Challenge.
Everyone graduating this spring has by now received a letter regarding the Senior Challenge (which I see even bears my signature), and if you trashed that letter immediately upon identifying it as a solicitation, I urge you to reconsider when you receive a follow-up telephone call from the committee.
If you have merely set the letter aside, I urge you to consider it again before trashing it.
The Senior Challenge is a program that is administered by the Office of Development through the Student Foundation. As students at the University of Houston, we have challenged our fellow seniors to strengthen existing programs at our university by pledging four years of financial support to UH.
The strength of our university depends on private support because tuition and state funding are not sufficient for the yearly operating budget. By pledging financial support to our university, we enhance the value of our own education.
Meeting the challenge is simple. We have structured the pledge program to be as easy as possible: $200 pledged as incremental amounts of $20, $40, $60 and $80 over a four-year period.
In meeting the challenge, we remember our alma mater fondly and provide tangible support for the institution that has provided us our education.
I hope that many of you will join me in meeting the challenge. My experience at UH means much to me, and my participation in the Senior Challenge will help me to retain direct ties to this institution for at least another four years.
Westra is a member of the University of Houston Student Foundation, an organization that works closely with the Houston Alumni Organization to prepare students for future roles in support of the University of Houston.